Gardener's Journal: Evergreen azaleas in bloom

Thursday

Jun 21, 2007 at 12:01 AMJun 21, 2007 at 9:22 PM

Gardening column by R. Wayne Mezitt.

R. Wayne Mezitt

Every year around Mothers Day in the Boston suburbs, a welcome profusion of color bursts forth, even on branches that looked dead only a few weeks ago. Days are more consistently warm, the sun feels hot and plants everywhere are in bloom.

For many of us, the sight of evergreen azaleas producing blooms on their nearly-bare branches is a signal that spring has really arrived.

In most parts of New England, we can rarely expect the evergreen azaleas to display those broad sweeps of color pictured on those regal Southern estates. Here, in fact, these azaleas often come out of winter looking simply awful, with few of the “evergreen” features we'd want them to display. In Zones 7 and warmer, these shrubs can attain magnificent stature, retaining their foliage all winter with minimal discoloration. For those of us who enjoy golf, the Augusta National Masters tournament each April features the evergreen azalea as its “signature shrub,” unfailingly providing a memorable display. Sadly, the hardiness and climate tolerance of these southern beauties has never proven sufficiently reliable to rank the evergreen azalea as “foolproof” in most of New England.

This doesn’t mean the evergreen azaleas can’t be a valuable part of your landscape. Properly sited and given the care they need and time to become established, these plants can reward you with plenty of enjoyment to compensate for the extra attention they need. Make sure your soil drains off any water quickly and is properly prepared to be acid with a good organic content. Foliage on most evergreen azaleas will be damaged by drying winds and excessive winter sun, especially when the ground around the roots is frozen. Sunlight reflecting off the snow in February and March can be a major problem in some years. It’s best to site them on the east or north side of a structure, at the edge of the woods or in front of a wind barrier where they are protected. Try planting along with plants that tolerate the winter well to help disguise their “recovery” time. And even if your azalea looks bad, make sure to wait until mid June to see if it recovers, which it often will, despite its appearance after the winter.

If you’ve been discouraged by how the azaleas look in your yard, you might consider an alternative – the Early Rhododendrons. These small-leaf rhododendrons appear very similar to the evergreen azaleas in many respects: profuse, small flowers right at the start of spring; small azalea-like foliage, compact growing, and a range of color choices. But more importantly, the Early Rhododendrons are bred and selected for the New England conditions. They perform well in sunny, exposed locations, with winter winds, colder winter temperatures and harsher conditions than most evergreen azaleas tolerate.

You’re likely familiar with the ubiquitous Rhododendron "PJM," that lavender-pink flowering shrub that appears in so many landscapes by early May. Also, Rhododendron "Olga Mezitt" is becoming more widely used for its clear pink flowers right around Mothers Day. PJM, Olga Mezitt and their numerous cousins have proven consistently foolproof in most landscapes in this region. And a good selection of Early Rhododendron cultivars is now available in pink, white, nearly red and lavender flowering forms, some even featuring double flowers. Most offer reliably attractive evergreen foliage that looks appealing all year, even in our most challenging winters.

When you visit your local garden center, ask the experts there to recommend which plants they’ve found to perform well in your area. This time of year is always such a fabulous experience outdoors, and there are so many plants to choose for adding color to your garden.

R. Wayne Mezitt is a third-generation nurseryman, a Massachusetts certified horticulturist and chairman of Weston Nurseries of Hopkinton, Mass. He has served as president of the Massachusetts Nursery and Landscape Association, the New England Nursery Association and the American Nursery and Landscape Association, based in Washington, D.C.